Is the Rinse Free Hand Sanitizer Useful?

After the flash sale of hand sanitizer during the epidemic outbreak, every family has the rinse free hand sanitizer. To be honest, we also have the habit of taking rinse free hand sanitizer when going out. The small bottle is very convenient and is allowed to enter the subway and bus. It is not bad to use it in an emergency when it is inconvenient to wash our hands. But! Long-term use of the rinse free hand sanitizer liquid 500ml on children is still not recommended.

1. About the rinse free hand sanitizer

There are two main categories of the rinse free hand sanitizer on the market: alcohol-based and alcohol-free. Generally, it is alcohol-free for children, and its commonly used active ingredient is low-concentration benzalkonium chloride.

During the epidemic prevention and control period, everyone must have been popularized: alcohol with a concentration of more than 70% can kill a variety of bacteria and can effectively deal with some viruses. Therefore, the effective bactericidal ingredient of most rinse free hand sanitizers is alcohol.

High concentrations of alcohol are very effective for common bacteria and viruses, like Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, influenza A virus, hepatitis A virus, COVID-19, etc.

However, when the alcohol concentration is low (less than 60%), the effect is not obvious, and it can only inhibit the reproduction and growth of bacteria and viruses. If the concentration is too high, the alcohol will quickly coagulate the protein on the surface of the bacteria forming a protective layer and the effect will not be good.

The key point is that the hand sanitizer rinse free with an alcohol concentration of more than 60% has good disinfection, sterilization, and cleaning effect. And the rinse free hand sanitizer for children generally does not contain alcohol. The first thing to worry about is that the children may eat them by mistake.

According to data from the U.S. Poison Control Center, every year, children suffer from alcohol poisoning by mistakenly eating because of the high concentration of alcohol in rinse free hand sanitizer. Over 80,000 cases of hand sanitizer poisoning in children were recorded over a 4-year period, and most are children under the age of 5.

Does anyone else not know the seriousness of alcohol poisoning? The mild symptoms are dizziness and vomiting while the severe are a respiratory arrest or even death. Therefore, when children use the rinse free hand sanitizer, the manufacturers gradually start to give up alcohol, which is very effective in disinfection and sterilization and replace it with other ingredients such as phenylchloramine.

And benzalkonium chloramine can not be taken orally. If it is just accidentally encountered, it is not a big problem. However, when long-term or a large amount of mistaken consumption, there is still a risk of poisoning. So to put it simply: it is best not to buy alcohol-based rinse free hand sanitizer for children, but the alcohol-free hand sanitizer is not good enough for disinfection and sterilization, so it is not completely safe.

2. Recommendations for the use of rinse free hand sanitizer

If you are worried about the inconvenience of cleaning when you go out, and feel that you still need to prepare some rinse free hand sanitizers, it is recommended to choose viruclear solution products with more than 60% alcohol-this kind of cleaning can really be effective, and be careful not to accidentally let the children eat them.

Try not to buy scented and fruity rinse free hand sanitizers. Don't give your child the temptation of "sweet, delicious, and want to try", and tell your child not to put their hands in their mouth after applying it.

When using it, you should also pay attention to these points: squeeze out a sufficient amount of hand sanitizer (more than less), cover the whole hand, and rub the palms, backs, fingers, and wrists several times until the hands are naturally dry.